Chapter 19

I woke up smiling at having won another game while pitching. I was tempted to tune into ESPN Sports News to see what was being said, but resisted knowing that luck could change in a blink of an eye.

Running on the beach was refreshing, and I did it while thinking that this was the last home game of this stretch and we were leaving for the west coast as soon as the game was over. If there was anything I didn't like about major league baseball, it was being away from the girls and the possibility of being traded.

The girls had breakfast ready for me as soon as I returned. Sherry said, "We already packed your bag. We know you're leaving as soon as the game is over."

I hugged the two to me and whispered into their ears, "I love you two so very much. Stay safe while I travel, and enjoy your time. Try to get Nadia and their kid to come visit. I'm sure Nancy and Freddie will be down to chat and be friendly."

Jeannie said, "We do well by ourselves, and we want to line up some more appearances for you while you're out of town this time. I think we can get a couple more sponsors for you, and we want to begin getting some restaurants to put up a special menu for the games when you pitch. What do you think about that?"

"What if I lose? You know a pitcher can't win every game. How will they deal with it if I lose?" I was thinking of how easy it would be to lose.

Jeannie told me, "That's easy; they still give the discount on the special if you lose, but everyone can buy an extra beer to cry in. See, it works."

I didn't know whether that was a good explanation, but I'm sure they would know by the time they had visited a few restaurants.

The Sunday afternoon game was a nail biter, as one of the other rookies was pitching and barely made it through the fifth. A reliever began in the sixth, with about the same results as the fifth. We were down four to two, and I wasn't helping as I had already grounded out twice.

Escobar came up limping during the sixth so I was put in at short which meant the pitcher had to bat ... We finished the inning still down two, but I was going to be up in the bottom of the inning so I was ready. They had brought in a new pitcher who was listed as having a rocket fastball and a deceiving changeup. His first pitch was always a fastball that wasn't always over the plate.

I stood in and was ready. The first pitch was a fastball but over my head. The book said he seldom threw two fastballs in succession, so I watched him as he prepared to throw. It was different than his fastball, so I had to take an extra count before swinging. My swing was level and the ball went into the left field stands, but on the wrong side of the foul pole. Darn, I had swung a little early and pulled the ball.

Okay, the next pitch should be a fastball, and he has himself under control. I watched the guy go through a lot of indecision as he tried to set up. I called time and backed out of the box. I gave myself a couple of practice swings and then stood in. This was going to be a fastball and it came down the middle. I fouled it straight back, just missing the ump.

This next pitch would be another changeup if the guy did what the book said, but I would watch. He set up for a fastball again, and threw it exactly where he had thrown the one before. It went into the left field stands but it was fair this time. I smiled to myself all the way around the bases. I sure hope I can continue to hit like this.

We ended up sweeping the Yanks and sent them home with their tails between their legs, just the way you want the Yankees. Now it would be wonderful if we could do that with Baltimore when we came home.

The girls came down next to the dugout to give the team congratulations and hugs. I received a lot of hugs and kisses from the girls and our neighbors. Nadia and daughter were the others using the girls' extra seats today, so they were able to say goodbye to James. I promised to call them when we were in LA.

It's always tough to leave your family for a road trip. Some of the guys look forward to a road trip for their opportunity to spread their wings, but the family guys just want to win the games and come home. All of us who put the team first worried that half the team would screw up their ability to play well on the road. You can't ride herd on adults, only set an example.

This was another ten game - ten day road trip. We were playing the Angels, Oakland, and Seattle with no break until we went home. The four games in Oakland would be a grind, and playing Seattle is always tough. I would pitch the first game in Oakland and the second game at Seattle. This could be a very boring road trip if Joe didn't let me play.

The Angels beat us two out three games while I watched from the bullpen. Joe interrupted the rotation for the first game in Oakland by having one of the good relievers start. I had thought that Joe was going to hold me out of the rotation, but he had me at DH and we won, but only by one. He told me, "You may not need the extra day off, but I think the rest of the guys do. That will help get them rested." The game I pitched was a blazer as I was pitching my best, but our bats were on vacation. I hit a home run in the second, and that held for the rest of the game. I pitched a one to nothing complete game shutout, but had allowed three hits. The guys even razzed me about not being able to pitch a no-hitter. I razzed back that I had to win my own games, since I didn't get any run support from the rest of the team. That got a lot of boos and soap tossed at me.

Seattle is always a nemesis to us when we play in Seattle. I was DH the first game there, and actually went zero for four. They blew by us three to nothing, making us look really bad. Game two was better as I went three for five with three RBIs, and we won by one. I was DH in game three, and went in during the sixth inning when our pitcher went nuts and couldn't find the strike zone. We didn't have anyone warmed up, and Hickey asked, "Do you think you could pull us out of this inning? We're already down by two, and we need to stop the bleeding."

I was given some extra pitches to warm up when Hickey declared the pitcher was injured. He was injured alright, because his performance would put him on the road to the minor leagues. Molina and I talked briefly, and he said he knew the batters and would guide me. We had one out with the top of the batting order coming up with the bases loaded. My first pitch was a low slider that was grounded to Escobar, who stepped on second and threw to Loney on first for a double play. It was a relief to get out of that inning with no more damage.

Joe asked if I felt like I could pitch the seventh. I told him, "Give me the seventh and eighth if I'm still good. I'll have a day to rest before pitching at home. I might be able to finish."

This did something for the morale of the team and they began hitting anything thrown. We were tied by the end of the seventh, and one up by the end of the eight. Joe looked at me with a raised eyebrow, "Want to try to finish?"

"I've only thrown twelve pitches. Let me see what happens. Warm an arm up and use him if I screw up. I'm a little upset I didn't get to hit last inning, but I suppose that's a tradeoff."

Joe was shaking his head and Hickey was hiding his smile.

The first pitch slider went straight up in the air and came down in my glove. The next first pitch was a dud comebacker that I tossed to Loney. The third pitch was a line drive straight at Longoria's face. He caught it in a defensive move. Amazing, but I had closed the game with three pitches, admittedly all luck."

The guys gave me a shaving cream pie in the face that I savored, as it was an act of appreciation. I had to talk with Todd Kalas, the sports announcer, for a minute while still wiping the shaving cream from my face. I was just about done when Escobar dumped a Gatorade container on me. I guess my teammates were as psyched as I was.

The plan was to get on a plane as fast as possible and fly home. We wouldn't get home until the wee hours of the morning there, but we would be home. I called the girls who were excited that I had finished the game, and told them the plan. I didn't have an ETA, but they could probably figure it out once we were off the ground. They told me they would meet me.

I think the entire team was worn out this time. Too many close games, with a lot of tension in some. I knew I would pitch the home opener and felt good about it. Joe and Jim Hickey must have asked me a dozen times how my arm was; are you sore, do you think you'll be able to pitch Friday? I had to keep telling them that the few pitches I threw didn't affect me at all. I would be fine to pitch Friday.

There was a pretty big crowd at St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport when we arrived. The players were all revived by the time we landed, and were happy to shake hands and sign autographs when we arrived. The girls stayed back until I was free of the autograph hounds, and then mobbed me for kisses and hugs. Jeannie asked, "How about we go to the Village Inn for some late or early breakfast. You can sleep as late as you want, and even skip working out today for a change. Let's relax and enjoy each other today."

I was revived after we ate, and wanted to play long and hard with my ladies. They were in the mood, so we used up a lot of our towel supply as we loved our way until dawn. The glow of morning was coming in the windows as we drifted off to sleep.

I woke up confused as to what day and time it was. The clock on the nightstand said twelve ten, but it was light outside so it must be 12:10 in the afternoon. The girls were snuggled to me with their arms across me holding onto each other's tits. I thought for a long time and finally put it together that this was a day off and I didn't need to do anything today if I didn't want to. I felt so sluggish that I almost didn't get up, but I pulled myself from the grasps of the girls and made it to the bathroom.

After dressing in running gear, I looked out at the beach to see the tide was in so I went out through the garage to run the streets. Freddie came out of the building to get into her car as I was stretching in the garage. When she noticed me, she said, "Let me call Nancy. I'll bet she'll run with you."

I really didn't want to run with anyone, but Nancy was so moody lately that she might need a friend. Nancy was in front of me, stretching out to run in less than a minute, while Freddie was talking to me. We waved goodbye to Freddie and took off down the street. As we became more acclimated to running, Nancy asked, "Don't you worry about your ladies when you're gone like that?"

"Should I, Nancy? They tell me they visit with you and Freddie, but they tell me they don't go out trolling like you said you do."

Nancy grimaced before saying, "I know I said that, but I really don't do it. I'd like to, but I don't want what others may give me. I'm really a lot less aggressive than Mom and I want a more gentle life than she does. Your girls are so relaxed and tell me how much in love they are with you. I'm jealous that they have such a secure life. I wish I had that."

"You will, Nancy. A guy will come along one of these days, scoop you up, and keep you forever. You just have to be patient. I think I've learned that good things come to those who wait for them."

"I don't want to wait, Matt. I want you to take me into your group and mate with me. I want to be a mommy and good wife. I want more than I am now."

"Whew; that's a tall order and one that I think the ladies will have to discuss with you, Nancy."

"I know, Matt, but it's something I fantasize about. I don't' want to wait, I want it all now." She paused a minute, then said, "I know I'll wait and find someone who is better than who I have been thinking will be a good mate."

I didn't say anything since I didn't want to disrupt her thoughts. Nancy finally said, "Run me to the condo and we'll both go in. I'll come down in a little while and tell the girls I tried to get you to take me in. Your girls are so special they will hug me up, and tell me that I'll find someone soon."

The girls were up when I came in and gave me hugs while stripping me for the shower. We enjoyed a warm shower while they rubbed all over me, enticing me into multiple acts of joining with them to give each other pleasure.

I gave them the drift of what Nancy and I had been talking about while we were fixing some food. Jeannie said, "She's asked us a dozen times if we could take her into our home for a while. She says she wants to join our group."

Sherry was shaking her head, "Not likely, Matt. Jeannie and I want to use you up ourselves. We'll talk to her and help her find a guy. There are some cute players on your team who aren't taken. We'll invite them over and get them together with Nancy. That might take care of her problem."

I told the girls, "You know, Scott, the bullpen catcher. He's single and I know he makes decent money because he's on the coaching staff. He always seems to be in a good mood and works hard to be good at what he does. I think he's trying for a future coaching position, and would probably make a good bullpen coach. He wants to come out to the beach, so we'll invite him and get Nancy to meet him."

Sherry said, "Call him. We're not doing anything today, and I have some Italian tomato sausage or what Mom calls tomato salsiccia. I found a little Italian deli not far from here that has great stuff. Call him."

I called Scott, and as soon as he heard it was me, he asked, "Want to come in and practice. I can be there in less than a half hour."

"No, Scott, we'll work early tomorrow. You wanted to come out to my place and play on the beach. Come on out. I know the girls have beer in the fridge and we'll have a cookout. I need to show my place off and you'll tell everyone how great it is."

Scott laughed and said, "Yeah, I do have a big mouth, but every team needs someone to pass on the good gossip. Tell me how to get there and when."

I gave him directions and where to park, and told him to come as soon as he could to get some sun and play in the water.

Jeannie called Nancy and told her, "We're going to put our sexy bikinis on, so match us and come on down for our day off. Matt invited one of his team friends to come out, so let's put on a show. We're going to have a cookout later, so tell your mom to get bare or nearly bare if she wants to come and show off with us."

Poor, Scott, he was going to have an appearance problem all day.

Nancy was out on the patio in a barely there swimsuit that covered the good stuff, but was also barely legal. St. Pete didn't like butt floss suits, so this was just a couple of inches of material that actually stayed out of the crack. It didn't make much difference with Nancy, as she had such a pronounced camel toe that I had to adjust my shorts a couple of times. The girls were in their barely there and barely legal swimsuits as well. It's a good thing the residents at the condo were all open-minded or we would have been voted out right away. The funny thing was that the ancient residents, including sweet, little old Mrs. Mooney, wore thong bikinis at the pool. Mrs. Mooney would strut around showing off her well-exercised butt and small but obviously augmented breasts. This lady would have been a cougar if she could have stayed up later to go to the bars. She also had a problem and couldn't handle liquor, so she just showed off and didn't troll.

I was inside making some deviled eggs when Scott showed up. I saw that he had his swimsuit on, so I told him to take off his shirt and I would introduce him to the girls and our neighbors who were visiting with us.

Freddie was bent over a lounge chair straightening the cushions when we walked out on the patio, so Scott was greeted with a full ass shot of a decent looking female wearing what was almost a thong. I cleared my throat and Freddie looked around and slowly turned, smiling. "Scott, this is Freddie, Freddie, Scott. Freddie is our neighbor directly above us. Freddie, Scott is our bullpen catcher and one of our coaches."

Freddie was nice and shook her tits all the way to shake Scott's hand. She was smiling when she turned back and lay back on the lounger with one knee bent. Scott had to be getting off on the display, as I was getting up.

I pulled him out onto the sand where the girls and Nancy were spread out. All three were lying on their stomachs, so we were greeted with three prime butts and bare backs while the girls sunned themselves. I said loud enough for them to hear, "I have a guest with me, Girls. Scott is here."

Sherry reached back to clip her top before sitting up, but Jeannie and Nancy sat up quickly pulling their tops up, but flashing poor Scott with Jeannie's mega boobs and Nancy's just a little smaller ones. Sherry winked at me and shook her head. She knew the two had done that on purpose to get the guy worked up.

After introductions, Jeannie and Nancy talked Scott into going out into the gulf to play in the water. They said the rays were out today, and you could touch them as they swam by. What they didn't say is that if the rays were in close, nurse and black-tip sharks were probably in close as well. The nurse sharks never bothered anyone, but the black-tipped sharks could be nippy which could mean others would come at the smell of some blood.

We had a great day playing in the water and on the beach. We had a lot of food that was disappearing faster than we could prepare and cook it. The pairing worked, as Scott and Nancy began to get closer talking about interesting stuff. It had to be interesting for the two to be so intense with each other. Freddie was pleased and told me, "You picked a nice guy to meet Nancy. I hope she gives the guy time to breathe, because she's really on the hunt. She thinks she needs to get married and have kids right away or miss out on the whole experience."

I really didn't know Scott well enough to guess what his attitude was, but I'm sure I would hear the next day.

We finally began slowing down about seven, and Scott was preparing to leave shortly after. Nancy took him off somewhere with his clothes. Freddie had already gone up to her condo. We did find out something about Freddie. She was a major investor in several large companies in and around the St. Pete, Clearwater area. She was actively trying to buy into several companies in Tampa. She must be a very wealthy woman to do this.